The Orange Box

10 Review to this product

• 

  JR Media Freak
  October 11th, 2007 on 7:41 am

  Rating

  I have been a fan of Half Life, so I knew I would get this for Xbox 360. (I prefer playing games on consoles.) I was also curious about the other games in this package. There is one disc…when you put it in the 360 a main menu comes up with five choices across the bottom of the screen…1. Half Life 2, 2. Half Life 2 Episode One, 3. Half Life 2 Episode Two, 4. Portal and 5. Team Fortress 2. That’s right 5 games! One disc. One box. $59.99! Great deal.

  Half Life 2 appears to be much better looking graphically than the original Xbox version…there are not as many glitches either. The backwards compatible version had quite a few bugs that made playing the game on the 360 quite annoying. Not to worry here. The game play is smooth and quite comparable to the PC version. The bonus here of course is that you have both Episodes One and Two to move on with after completing Half Life 2…or you can play just Episode One or Two. You don’t have to solve one to play the others. That may be beneficial if you have played Half Life 2 and just want to jump right into the Episodes. The graphics on the Episodes really shine…it looks amazing…they did a great job with this version.

  Portal is an interesting game and quite challenging. It seems very similar to Half Life 2 in that it is in first person, but this is more of a puzzle game. You have a portal shooting gun, and you have to figure out how to use the device to get through a maze or puzzle. There are a few twists on this too…moving platforms, switches, blocks, weight activated floor buttons, electrical sensor receptacles, energy emitting zappers that can activate the receptacles and later in the game this is even more complicated by motion sensing robotic machine gun turrets. It really stimulates the brain. It definitely makes you think outside the box. Eventually, you get the ability to shoot two different portals…one an entry portal, and the second an exit portal. I got addicted to this game and played for two hours straight until I became completely stuck and confused. I had to put it down and relax for a while…I was getting a little too intense. I can’t wait to play again.

  Team Fortress 2 is an online multiplayer based game. You are set up into teams, and then there are different objectives to play. I only played it twice, so I don’t know all the ins and outs of it. However, it does look quite interesting. There are a few different characters to choose from with different abilities. These abilities can make one character better at defending a base, one is better at going out and stalking the other team, etc. There are snipers, medics, heavy weapon handlers, spies, scouts and a few others that I can remember. This game appears to have some replay value and a lot of fun for online multiplayer.

  With all those games in one box and on one disc, who wouldn’t want it for $59.99?!? This is truly the best deal in video game history. Why don’t more companies do this and release more content at one time? This may make developers think about quantity in addition to quality.
• 

  W. Newberry
  October 14th, 2007 on 6:34 pm

  Rating

  One thing that struck me when I first put in ‘the Orange Box’ and played Half Life 2 original was how crisp the graphics are. The textures ,dynamic lighting all add to the beauty. And if you have a good HDTV , some additional minor tweaking of the picture makes Half Life-2 look rather stunning.Another thing I loved about the Half Life series were there are no pre-rendered cutscenes,except for the very begining and very end of each episode/game. All of Half Lifes story takes place in game while playing, something I wish more games did. The game is not riddled with mini-movies.Half Life 2 does show its age ‘design’ wise but as far as graphics and crispness of textures it looks about as good as it can on any platform. One great thing I love about all 5 games is the fully customizable controls. After playing HALO3 for so long I was comfortable with the (RB) reload . So if you want you can fully map any button on the 360 controller for Half Life-2 to suit your tastes, very nice indeed. Multiplayer TeamFortress2 plays nice , there were some early lag issues but at the time of this writing Valve was working on the servers and trying to match people with simular LIVE speed, so the lag issue is nearly solved. Portal is quirky puzzle solving in First Person, if you played PREY the portals work in simular fashion , only with the Portal Gun you can put a portal almost anywhere the game allows,although you don’t aquire the Portal gun right away. The (3) Half Lifes look and play great. It takes at least 26-30 HOURS to complete all 3 Half Life-2 games (Not including Portal).I enjoyed Half Life-2′s story and its nice to have all 3 chapters in one disc.There’s lots of gaming to be had with ‘ The Orange (5 game bargain) Box’ any FPS fan should have this in there collection. (update) I found out there is a lag patch for TF2 out now. You can get the patch via XboxLive. On another note:With the open-ended ending of Ep:2 will HL2-Episode 3 be available for download via X-Live soon? Most likely yes ,PEACE
• 

  Jack R. Tallent
  October 15th, 2007 on 9:45 am

  Rating

  The Orange Box is such an extremely good value that there is basically no excuse for you not to buy it. Included on the disc are Halflife 2, Halflife 2:Episode 1, Halflife 2:Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2.

  There is probably little need to say anything about Halflife 2, which was one of my favorite Xbox titles. Episodes 1 and 2 continue on in the same vein with the same quality and same level of fun. They are worth the price of the disc.

  In my opinion, though, the real story here is Portal! I predict that this game will become a classic in short order, and will almost certainly become the basis for further, larger games. Simply put, it is one of the most engrossing games I have ever played. It is primarily a puzzle game, albeit one based on a very novel concept. It is however, blended with just the right amount of ominous, slightly creepy, “game-breaking” that becomes the game behind the game. Just play the thing. You will wish it was at least TWICE as long.

  As far as Team Fortress 2 goes, I don’t have anything to report yet, mostly because I don’t have the free time required to get involved in an online team-based endeavor. It does look pretty sweet though. I’m not sure how conducive it is to casual play, as it seems to require a high-degree of coordination among player classes, etc.

  So, Orange Box is definitely 5 stars for Fun. It would get 6 stars for value, if there were a value category, and if it let you give 6 stars. It is the new “must have” title on the 360.
• 

  Christopher Mcafee
  October 18th, 2007 on 4:28 am

  Rating

  five games in one is a no brainer; especially if they all come from Valve. HL:2 is requarded by the video gamer community as one of the best FPS games ever made, plus you get it’s expansions episodes one and two.
  
  The only negative thing I can say about Portal is that is was too short; but then, twenty hours of portal would not be enough. This is seriously some of the best hours I have ever had gaming on a console.
  
  Team Fortress Two is a ton of fun to play on Live. The art direction and animation of this game really make it stand out from anything else on a console, and will provide you with plenty of hours of pure gaming goodness.

  Buy this game NOW.
• 

  Christopher Deweese
  October 18th, 2007 on 7:17 pm

  Rating

  If you are a true gamer then you have probably already experienced the incredible gameplay of Half-life 2. That combined with Episode 1 and Episode 2 makes this package all the more tantalizing. The graphics, physics, and gameplay have been the standard for FPS’s for years. Nothing new there except that the graphics look a little better. Portal, on the other hand, is such a pleasant surprise that I can hardly contain my excitement. The game is set in the Half-life universe where you find yourself a test subject having to make it through various puzzles using a high tech portal gun. The portal gun looks and feels similar to the gravity gun. In addition to creating portals, it can pick up and move various objects. The first few puzzles are relatively easy to understand and get through, but as the game goes on they become much more involved and complex. Portal forces you to rethink space. Nothing is really linear anymore. I’ve had to use the strategy guide to get through most of the complex puzzles because they’re so darn hard. There are a lot of unique achievements for this game, such as falling 30,000 feet (try to get that one). I also enjoy the commentary by a robotic sounding guide who monitors your progress and dishes out ham-handed, sarcastic encouragement. I haven’t had the pleasure of playing Team Fortress 2 yet, but it’s on my list. It’s pretty amazing how they fit 5 games on one disc. Kudos to Valve for their expertise and innovation.
• 

  Frank Wolffe
  November 11th, 2007 on 4:25 pm

  Rating

  I’ve been waiting for Team Fortress 2 for about 10 years. Hard to believe it’s been that long. That’s a lot of expectation. Fortunately Valve knows how to deliver (slowly). Its fun, challenging and funny. TF2 happens to come bundled with a lot of stuff. Portal is the best puzzle game I’ve played all year. The dialog had me rolling on the floor while the level design kept me scratching my head. The advanced and challenge levels provided great replay value. Beyond that you get the entire Half-Life 2 canon. This is the only FPS that has a story worth a damn.
  
  My only complaints are with the setup. I’m a mouse/keyboard FPS player. Playing with a 360 controller is kind of like making me play with my feet. I know what is supposed to happen, but I can’t quite convince my body to do it. The control scheme is well designed. None of this awkward, “now lets see,to operate this critical machine that completely blocks progress in the game it was right trigger, right shoulder, click left stick” nonsense. If you don’t already play FPS on console, buy the PC version. It’s much easier to control. My other complaint is also not an issue on the PC. To play TF2 online you have to have a LIVE Gold membership. Thanks MS, but after spending $600 on the console I’m not interested in paying you $7 per month to use it.
  
  I cannot recommend this game enough. However, the PC version is a much better value.
• 

  Bob Chan
  November 17th, 2007 on 5:34 pm

  Rating

  Not only is this game the best value in console history, with 5 quality titles, its also includes some of the most innovative first-person game play design as well. I’ll review each title:

  Half-Life 2 (4.5/5) – Probably the single best 1-player first person shooter ever made, definitely for the PC. I played this game on the PC and it gets a perfect 5/5 there. The console version gets a 0.5 star deduction if only because the 360 controller proves to be slightly less adept than the mouse/keyboard combo. Combat is fine because they’ve added some auto aim to compensate, but often times you’ll find yourself strafing back and forth at doorways, in order to line up correctly and get through. But the absolute worst is the vehicle control. Halo is the only FPS I’ve played that got vehicle control right, but HL2 is bound by the rule of never leaving Gordon Freeman’s eyes, and so driving must be done first-person. But the driving segments are relatively short, given the total length of the game, and there are plenty of breaks. Certainly not a deal breaker, but still noticeably inferior to the PC version in this regard.

  Half-Life 2: Episode 1 (4/5) – The first in the “episodic content” experiment, HL2:EP1 returns you to the Citadel, where you ended HL2. The first portion of the game has you repeating the same style of combat, using your enhanced gravity gun. Some new puzzle elements have been added here, which basically involves shooting energy balls around. Its interesting, but not nearly as diverse as the first game. Same with the rest of the game. Although there are some interesting new ideas, and a few new enemies, there is also a little too much repetition for such a short title, and although the story is captivating as always, it doesn’t advance very far. Ultimately though, its HL2 so it rocks. These are minor complaints, and would be diminished if it didn’t have its predecessor to be compared to. There is also an unbelievable XBox 360 “Achievement” that involves completing the entire game using just one bullet!

  Half-Life2: Episode 2 (4.5/5) – The first “new” game on the disc. A little longer, and a little better than the previous episode. The game play has changed a little here. There are a few less physics puzzles, and more varieties of combat. A brutal new enemy is unveiled, and quickly gives you a reason to despise them. One of the byproducts of this stylistic change, means more frustration. The first two games are very linear and do an excellent job of indicating ideal strategy, while still letting you “run and gun” if thats your style. While this title is still pretty linear, you have to work out some strategies on your own, and that usually involves dying a lot. In the middle of the game, navigating an underground antlion nest involves EVADING a mother antlion. Its not exactly clear (the AI characters only tell you not to KILL it), and you’ll waste ammo (that you ABSOLUTELY need later) if you even try and combat it. For the first time, there is an epic “end battle”. This was probably the most intense experience in the whole series, and it follows the same style as above: there are multiple strategies to attack the encroaching enemies. This is the first time I wanted to throw my controller out the window, but finally winning was awesome. When does Episode 3 come out again?

  Portal (5/5) – Another reviewer has said that if you don’t like Portal, then you are stupid. There isn’t much else to say. Talk about an innovative idea that is perfectly executed! Portal is not only a unique puzzle game, its wickedly smart and funny. Although the game is far too short, it does have some replay value with a few advanced maps and some other challenges. I’m very interested to see where VALVe take this awesome idea! This is the first real first-person style innovation in a while.

  Team Fortress 2 (4/5) – The online multiplayer aspect of the package. TF2 is awesome looking (almost cell shaded?) and pretty fun and funny as well. This is class based combat, meaning that if you aren’t any good at shooting people than you can be a medic or an engineer or something else useful to the team. I have two complaints. First is that its one player per console. This makes sense as its a ported PC game, but it still suffers when compared to other major FPS online games (ahem, Halo 2 & 3). The second is that the online matchmaking system isn’t as smooth as others (ahem, Halo 2 & 3). Once again, this is because its based on the PC model. But its no fun to have find an almost full match only to find out its been filled in the time it took you to push the “A” button and then have to start the whole process over again. There are only a couple maps, but thats OK because it removes some of the steep learning curve. Combined with the simple controls and fixed weapon options, it allows n00bs to jump right in and at least enjoy the experience, unlike other games (ahem, Halo 2 & 3).

  So the final verdict is that you have to buy this title. Now. Do it. Click “Add to Cart”. Do it.
• 

  Terrence Aybar
  December 6th, 2007 on 8:47 pm

  Rating

  For what you pay with this title, you get a lot of content. Five titles including Half-Life 2 incl. Episodes 1 and 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2 ensure that you won’t be getting tired of this game anytime soon.

  I especially enjoyed Portal which is one of the trippiest games I’ve ever played, not to mention laugh out loud hilarious. It’s a first person shooter/ puzzle type game that has you using a gun that throws out two portals (think of it as an in door and an out door that you can place on walls and/or ceilings) which you use to navigate the maze like levels. All the while you are being spoken to by a computerized voice that simultaneously guides you and threatens you. It’s one of the most original experiences I’ve had playing a videogame and almost worth the price of admission alone. It’s a bit on the short side but it does get some life extension with advanced levels once you beat the game’s main storyline.

  The graphics are pretty nice across the board, especially on Team Fortress 2 which has this kind of cartoony look to it that gives the game a humorous touch to all the violence. Team Fortress 2 also has an online component that is everything you’d expect from a first person shooter except that it requires a bit more teamwork than other games because every character class is designed to achieve a certain function and in order to win in most cases, you’ve got to know what class to play with as well as what other players are playing with.

  The Half-Life games are impressive themselves as their use of surround sound makes the game an immersive experience coupled with really nice graphics. Make no mistake, this is a LOUD game when you start firing your weapons but it’s in the moments where you might be standing on a beachfront and all you can hear is the wind blowing all around you and the sound of the ocean and birds overhead that you really start to appreciate the subtlety of the sound design. This is the game that’s probably the main attraction for most buyers and understandably so. It’s one of those games that does a really good job of putting you into the world of the story and making you feel like you’re really a part of what’s going on in it.

  This is a great package and highly recommended as you don’t really see this kind of deal too often.
• 

  Benjamin S. Sprague
  February 7th, 2009 on 1:16 pm

  Rating

  Even if the orange box merely consisted of Half life 2 and its’ other two episodes it “still” would have been a steal for the price. However on top of that gamers also get Portal and Team Fortress 2.

  For those unfamiliar with Portal it uses the same engine as half life and pits your mind against a diabolical computer which uses everything from deadly traps to psychological war-fare to slow your progress. Your only gadget is a gun that can make portals through solid walls and your sole goal is to get out of a giant experimental maze alive. While the environments are a bit bland in portal the “puzzle aspect” is fun and addictive even for people who would not normally enjoy puzzle games.

  Team Fortress 2 is a slapstick humorous co-op online fps which seems to burrow a lot of cheese from old spy espionage movies and action flicks. Every character has side splitting outrageous quirks as well as their own unique weapons and skills.

  Besides for Bio shock and Jedi academy I’ve never been in love with the fps genre. However valve presents each of their concepts with such flare and originality even jaded critics would be hard pressed not to like at least “something” the orange box offers up.

  Obviously my favorite game is Half Life 2. The only glaring faults with the game are that the controls are not quite so easy to learn as Bio shock’s and that if you have not played the first Half Life the story has many plot holes which remain unexplained.

  Once you get into driving a swamp boat with a mounted gun turret around in a series of canals while blasting away at corrupt law enforcers and military helicopters or find yourself crawling around in tunnels filled with organic alien traps that want to slurp you up with their hanging tongues to devour you it is easy to appreciate the vast realistic yet nightmarish environments Half Life 2 offers up to the player.

  The story though obscure is also quite good. Apparently as Gordan Friedman you helped develop dimensional travel technology in a place called black mesa. Unfortunately the open doorways you and your cohorts created allowed hostile aliens to spill through. Before you knew it humanity got conquered by a hostile group of crazy tyrannical creeps from a close by neighboring reality. The human resistance which did not succumb to the demands of the enemy despot regime formed lucrative alliances with other aliens who were being enslaved by the same oppressive fraction. They all see you as a type of “messiah” who can bring down “The Man”.

  The only thing I do not understand is since you are partly responsible for the invasion why does no one see you in a negative light? For a guy that set back human civilization you sure do get a lot of rear-kissing compliments! Besides for that oddity there is also the haughty feeling you get from Friedman. A lot of people talk to him yet Gordon never says anything in turn. You get the subtle feeling he is either mute or a bit conceited. A guy that is supposed to be a sophisticated scientist should have “something” to say to someone. The beautiful,brave, and capable Alyx is always at Friedman’s side yet I have not seen him flirt with her yet.

  Now that ranting wiener fest is over there were things I enjoyed immensely about the cast in half life 2. The cast you interact with are believable, flawed, and endearing. They are akin to what your neighbors and friends would be like if they were suddenly faced with losing their families, friends, and basic human rights. The men are rightfully rugged and while the females are cute they are not that plastic unrealistic false perfection you find in games such as Soul Calibur 4 or Sexy beach. There are no scantily clad big busted model types running around it slinky red dresses or in super short skirts and halter tops. Half life 2 proves you can make women characters “pretty” yet still respect them as people at the same time.

  Honestly I think the gravity gun is one of the best ideas ever but beyond it and your environmental adaptation suit I found the weapons to be lack luster. We’ve seen the incarnation of the crow bar many times as well as machine guns, assault rifles, pistols, and grenades. While Half life 2 does have a decent Selection Bio Shock had “plasmids” which literally gave you cool powers. But yet if you flip over the same argument Half Life 2′s environments are much bigger, there are at least 2 fun scenarios where you get to pilot vehicles, and the game is much longer. My final analysis found me loving both games equally for different reasons. However as far as re-playability is concerned even Half Life 2 by itself trumps Bio shock significantly.

  Because of Half Life 2 and every other game within the orange box I cannot offer much of an objection. It is akin to a genie offering you grand wishes for a nickel apiece. Can any gamer honestly argue with a bargain of that magnitude?

  Pros

  + All the games are high quality.

  + Besides for Bio Shock Half Life 2 is arguably the best first person shooter out there.

  + Fans of brain teasers will adore portal for its biting humor, wit, charm, and challenge.

  + Team Fortress 2 was a nice addition for co-op play over X Box live. Personally it is not for me but for those that prefer co-op and socializing it is a real gem!

  + A steal for the price!

  Cons

  - All the games still use a basic fps format so the variety is still limited in some aspects.

  - Unless you have played Half Life 1 Half Life 2 will have you scratching your head on more than one occasion.

  - Half Life 2′s controls are a bit unique from other shooters so mild frustration may occur until you get the hang of things.
• 

  Cloud
  August 4th, 2009 on 12:59 am

  Rating

  Color me crazy but I just don’t “get” Half-Life 2. The original that is, I just was never a big fan of it yet everyone who talks about great single-player experiences always references the game and yet for me personally I could just never really get into it. So why am I checking out the Orange Box, which collects that, plus its episodes as well as Portal and Team Fortress 2? Well, can’t beat that price since I’ve seen fully brand-new copies at 20$ plus it has 5 games in it so based on that, you’d think the Orange Box is one of the best things ever to get and it is, since a lot of people enjoy Half-Life 2 and its episodes, many LOVE Portal as well as the goofiness and zany qualities of Team Fortress 2 so I’d definately recommend the Orange Box since it’s got Portal on it. Sure it’s short but I don’t care.

  Half-Life 2: The game centers on the important-yet-mute Gordon Freeman, a scientist last seen in the mishaps at Black Mesa (the first Half-Life) and is now entering City 17 which is being overrun by the Combine. With Alyx Vance, her dad Eli, Alyx’s pet robot DOG as well as your trusty Gravity Gun, “The Freeman” (as called by the vortigaunts) must escape the Combine and hopefully figure out what the Combine are up to.

  For starters, Half-Life 2′s design is just plain odd to me. Many times I’ll be on the run, being chased yet I gotta spend a few minutes putting bricks on a seesaw or getting out of my buggy every 3 minutes to turn off a force field. At least Bungie makes vehicle sections short but awesome, Valve seem to make their vehicle sections long for the sake of being long and it’s my one gripe about the game. But the best part is using the Gravity Gun since it can become a formidable weapon as well as a puzzle solver. Grabbing saw blades to cut zombies in two? Awesome. Grabbing energy balls and vaporizing the Combine? Sweet. And unlike other FPS games, all items you find you keep and sure it doesn’t make sense how Gordon has the pockets for a shotgun, assault rifle, rocket launcher, 2 handguns, a bowgun, a crowbar, a pulse rifle AND the gravity gun, being able to switch on the fly helps keeps combat fresh. I’d say of the 5 games here, this one’s my least favorite.

  Half-Life 2: Episode One and Two: After the end of the last game, Gordon and Alyx are on the run from the Combine after they’ve stolen something of incredible worth. There’s not much to Episode One other than sewers, puzzles and helping to evacuate City 17 but it’s short and sweet so it’s not too bad. Episode Two however is awesome with 2 major events happening to Alyx, another glimpse and slightly more insight into the “G-Man” as well as epic encounters between DOG and a Strider and a 13 Strider attack (the achievement for this is a *****!”) It looks the best though it’s got its share of dull sections but the better of it as a whole.

  Portal: You play as Chell, a test subject at Aperture Science where you go through 19 testchambers involving puzzles and physics, your portal gun, your Weighted Companion Cube and gLaDoS, the Computer AI overseeing your tests. This game is short and I can probably knock it off in about an hour now but there’s no funnier or awesome experience than Portal. The lines, the Cube, that SONG! The puzzles are braintesting (at first) but its still one of the top games I’ve played and definately my favorite from Valve.

  Team Fortress 2: Like Killzone 2, TF2 relies on various classes for this multiplayer-only game. Unlike Gears of War or Halo 3 where weapons have to be found or Call of Duty where you can have a specific weapon loudout, you instead choose classes that will act differently on the battlefield. Some can set up defensive turrets, some heal others with their medic gun while you got the heavy, a mini-gun toting big dude (the guy on the right on the box). Then you got favorites like the flamethrower Pyro or the Spy who like to cloak themselves and disguise themselves as enemy players. It’s a frantic and fun multiplayer however since this is the Xbox 360 version, it doesn’t have the frequent updates, patches and whatnot that the PC version gets and this game still has exploits and cheats so if you want the achievements, I’d say boost this one but for the definitive Team Fortress 2 experience, get the PC version.

  The Orange Box is a strange game collection to be sure. The best game on it as it at best 2-3 hours long, the multiplayer-only one is better on the PC but if you don’t own a quality gaming PC rig, there’s not a lot better than the Orange Box….aside from TF2 updates. Come on Valve!